This One Night
by Dracossack
Summary: "To marry for duty and not for love is the fate of a noble woman." Bechloe AU.


**This One Night**

"What's wrong, Chloe, dear?"

The redheaded princess turned to face the woman seated across from her in the small carriage, drawn out of a pensive daydream by the raspy sound of her voice. Wrinkles stretched across her face, indicative of her many long years of service to the princess's family, giving her a rather severe expression, as though she were constantly disappointed with what she saw. This wasn't necessarily true, which Chloe, the princess, knew all too well of the handmaiden who had been her caretaker for as long as she could remember. She was nothing if not a kind, sweet, and gentle woman, a stark contrast to Chloe's true parents.

"Nothing, Margaret," Chloe replied as she forced a smile to her face, though she was unable to stop the wistful sigh that escaped her lips. "Nothing at all..."

"My lady, must you insult me so?" Margaret chided. "I know all too well when you are lying."

"My apologies," the princess responded with a quiet chuckle. "However, I wish only not to worry you. It is not as though there is anything to be done about it."

"Your attempts to assuage my fears, while noble, are most unnecessary, my lady. You know I am here only to help you. Though, if I had to guess, I would say you are... less than excited at the prospect of your betrothal to King Richard, no?" The elderly handmaiden replied. Chloe shook her head with a rueful smile, slightly bewildered by Margaret's insight.

"Nothing escapes your notice, it would seem," Chloe admitted. "Yes. Less than excited is one way of phrasing it." She turned to look back out of the window of the carriage, observing the trees moving slowly through her field of vision as they traveled through the forest. They would soon reach Castle Barden. She sighed again.

"I fear, sweet Chloe, that there is little I can say to alter this opinion," Margaret admitted. "You are a princess of Aquila, and as such, taking part in this marriage, which will solidify not only the union of the kingdoms of Aquila and Barden, but the peace between them, is not only your duty, but your honor and privilege."

"I am well aware of that, Margaret," Chloe replied ruefully. "As I said, I am not fighting it. That does not, however, make it any easier to accept."

"It is, unfortunately, the fate of all noble-borne women, to be married not to whom they love, but to whom it is most favorable for their family, for their kingdom," the older woman replied. "The freedom to marry for love is reserved for the common folk. Quite ironic, wouldn't you say?"

"Perhaps not. Perhaps that is the price we pay for living in such luxury as we do," the princess responded. "The price we pay for these fine fabrics..." Chloe gestured to the silk dress she wore, its colors more vibrant than the forest through which they traveled. "...for the comfort of riding in this carriage instead of upon the saddle of a horse..." She let out another soft sigh. "...for never having to work to feed our families."

"You speak as though you feel the price is not worth it," Margaret stated more than asked.

"You know me too well, dear Margaret," Chloe replied with a forlorn smile.

"I doubt this will comfort you greatly, but the King has a reputation for being a rather just and fair individual," Margaret offered hopefully. Chloe smiled at her handmaiden's attempts at consolation, comforted by the thought of her caring more than by her actual words.

"That is not the only thing he has a reputation for, however," Chloe replied. "Even I have heard the stories of 'King Silence.' They say none have actually heard his voice in years."

"That is nonsense, my dear. Merely gossip of the common folk. Honestly, if you simply think about it, the very idea falls apart. For how could a kingdom function under a king who is unable give commands?"

"Perhaps you are right, Margaret," Chloe replied. "But stories have to start somewhere..."

* * *

><p>Princess Chloe stood awestruck in the center of the gargantuan throne room of Barden Castle. The ceiling was well over fifty feet high, supported by massive columns of marble which formed a path leading up to the King's seat of power. Large, multicolored stained-glass windows allowed the light of the sun to dance through with all manner of vibrant hues, and the walls were adorned with great carvings of ancient monarchs, some good and some bad, but all appearing regal and stately in their stone likenesses. None of this, however, held Chloe's attention for long, as her gaze was drawn to the throne itself, upon which sat the man to whom she was to marry, King Richard.<p>

To say that Chloe had not expected him to look as he did was a bit of understatement. He was not a the towering behemoth of a man that the stories spoke of so often. In fact, even at his elevated position on the large, golden chair, he appeared much smaller than Chloe had been led to believe he would be. Though, that was not to say he still didn't boast an intimidating presence, for he wore a rather impressive set of silver armor, over which hung a thick, royal blue cloak. Chloe thought it strange that the king should wear armor in his own throne room during a time of peace, but she had been told it was simply a behavior that he had exhibited since he took the throne, giving some logic of always being prepared and appearing as a king should. Stranger still though were his features, which looked incredibly fair for a man of twenty. His face might even, perhaps, appear somewhat effeminate, especially when framed so neatly by his lengthy and flowing brunette hair, were it not for the intense gaze with which he looked upon all who came before him, his deep, stormy blue eyes drawing all attention away from his more elegant features.

"Your Majesty, King Richard, I present my daughter, Princess Chloe," said the tall, bearded and redheaded man standing just ahead of Chloe before he bowed low before the throne and stepped aside to allow the King to look upon Chloe. King Richard stared intently upon the princess, who, in her nervousness before his scrutiny, nearly forgot to curtsy. The King's eyes narrowed as she took her slight bow. He then turned towards the knight standing not a foot away from the right side of his throne, who leaned forward to allow the King to whisper something in his ear. The brunette knight nodded before he stood straight up and stepped forward.

"The King is immeasurably grateful for your generosity," the knight said to Chloe's father. "He wishes to know if you would find it acceptable for the wedding to take place a fortnight from your arrival here at Castle Barden, King Beale"

"Whatever his Majesty wishes is acceptable to us, Sir Jesse," Chloe's father replied.

"Splendid! Then it is settled," Sir Jesse exclaimed with a clap of his hands. There was a great applause throughout the throne room from the various nobles in attendance of the Princess's presentation. It was silenced quickly, however, when the King rose from his throne. An uneasy quiet fell upon the room, and the King looked as though he was about to speak. However, he only looked around the large room, his eyes lingering at last upon Chloe before he turned on his heels and walked, quite gracefully, Chloe noted, out of the throne room.

* * *

><p>Chloe sighed as she sat on the bed of her guest chambers. She had been doing quite a lot of that as of late, she thought as she stared out out into the starry night. Try as she might, she could not force herself to make peace with her situation, despite the fact that nothing could or would change the current course of her life. It had been precisely thirteen days since her arrival at Castle Barden, and by the time the sun set tomorrow, Princess Chloe would become King Richard's Queen. The passage of time had been both woefully fleeting and, at the same time, excruciatingly slow. There had been multiple events held in honor of the impending wedding, many a great feast and even a tournament had taken place, of which both Princess Chloe and King Richard had been in attendance. Despite his constant proximity, however, Chloe had yet to hear the man's voice. In fact, the only time he ever spoke was to whisper in the ear of the Knight, Sir Jesse, that seemed never far from his presence. It was this lack of communication that concerned Chloe the most, she figured she could live with the decision her parents had made for her, maybe even learn to love the navy-eyed king, but what hope was there for any happiness to be found in this future when he would not so much as utter a single word to her?<p>

A knocking on her door drew her out of her forlorn musings and she furrowed her brow in confusion, wondering who would call on her at this late hour.

"Who is it?" Chloe asked as she folded her sleeping gown closed across her chest, standing slowly from her seat on the excessively lavish bed. The marble floor was cold against her bare feet, and she shivered slightly as she stood before the door.

"Sir Jesse wishes to speak with you, my lady," came Margaret's voice from the other side of the door.

"Very well," Chloe replied somewhat reluctantly. The door made little sound as it opened to reveal the tall knight, dressed in a loosely fitting crimson tunic. The man always seemed to be grinning in a rather whimsical manner, and tonight was no different. Were it not for her current situation, Chloe thought she might have become fairly decent friends with him, as his bright disposition and seemingly constant state of happiness and amusement was not at all unlike Chloe's under normal circumstances.

"My lady," he spoke as he dipped his head in a polite bow.

"To what do I owe this visit, good sir?" Chloe asked.

"My curiosity, I suppose," Jesse replied. "And the King's as well..."

"I should have suspected as much."

"Forgive me for being so presumptuous, my lady, but you have seemed rather, well, troubled, I suppose, since you have arrived."

"I do not know what you mean."

"Well, the King is under the impression that something is troubling you. You may not think so, but the King really is quite concerned for you."

"He has an interesting way of expressing it," Chloe muttered. Jesse chuckled quietly before crossing the room to look out of the window. He took a deep breath, letting the cool night air fill his lungs.

"The King has certain... eccentricities," Jesse admitted as he turned back to face the princess.

"Such as the fact that he only ever talks to you, and never in more than a whisper in public?" Chloe asked quite sharply, uncharacteristic of her usually bright demeanor. Then again, she hadn't been herself for some time now.

"There are many things about the King which I cannot reveal, it is not my place to do so," Jesse replied calmly.

"Should I be worried about tomorrow night?" Chloe asked with a humorless laugh.

"Hmm... I think not," Jesse mused, smirking as he looked at the redheaded princess.

"Well that is certainly good to hear," Chloe murmured.

"I presume the prospect of this marriage does not seem desirable to you."

"Perhaps, but it matters not. Marrying for love is a privilege only common folk enjoy. I will do what is best for my country, and I will do it without complaint. But the fact that my wedding is tomorrow and I have yet to hear the sound of my betrothed's voice is more than a bit disconcerting," Chloe said, releasing a resigned sigh as she finished. She narrowed her eyes as she looked at Jesse, who somehow was still grinning despite the morose tone of the conversation. It was almost insulting to Chloe, and she was very near making him aware of that fact before he spoke up.

"You are a strong person, Chloe Beale," he said. "And you are exceptionally kind. It is a trait to be admired greatly, especially in light of how difficult it is to come by these days. I think that you have little to worry about come tomorrow." Chloe gave him a look clearly expressing her confusion, to which he responded only with a quiet laugh. "I must take my leave now, my lady. Do get some rest."

With that, he reached out and took Chloe's hand in his own, raising it to his lips to press a soft, chivalrous kiss to it before turning on his heels and walking out of the guest chambers, leaving a rather bewildered princess in his wake.

* * *

><p>The wedding itself was certainly a grand sight to behold. If the throne room had been lavish before, it was nothing compared to the extravagance with which it was decorated for this event. Great tapestries in all manner of colors adorned the walls and giant columns, accented by the bright hues shining through the stained glass windows. A plethora of beautiful and flagrant flowers occupied every inch of space not reserved for observing the wedding, and there were seemingly endless throngs of nobles in attendance wearing every imaginable sort of elegant gown and tunic, loaded from head to toe in the finest jewelry they could afford. It was, perhaps, excessive, but no expense had been spared for the wedding of King Richard and Princess Chloe.<p>

There had been lively music and a great deal of dancing and feasting and other various forms of celebration and revelry, which Chloe did her best to enjoy, despite the stoic nature of her new husband, who simply sat in his seat observing the festivities. She did her best to put the King out of her mind, especially after instead of saying "I do" during the wedding ceremony, he had only nodded his head to confirm his agreement with the union. It was all rather frustrating, and no attempts at conversation had succeeded. That was why when Jesse had asked her to dance, she had gladly accepted. The King's expression did not change as he gazed down at the redheaded Princess, who had finally begun to smile in the midst of being twirled about the dance floor by the brunette knight. Eventually though, the King had risen from his throne, causing a silence to fall over the crowd. His steely gaze swept the crowd, once again lingering on Chloe before he turned and walked out of the room and towards his chambers. Immediately, the crowd had resumed its festivities, who appeared accustomed to such behavior from their king. Chloe, however, stood transfixed on the door through which the King had exited.

"If you would hear the King's voice, then you should follow," Jesse had whispered encouragingly to her, nodding at the door.

And that was how Chloe ended up in the King's chambers, standing just behind the now closed door in the dim room lit only by a fire in the surprisingly modest hearth. In fact, the room was much smaller than she expected. The King stood across the room with his back turned to Chloe, who was becoming ever more anxious in his still ever persistent silence. With every second that passed in silence Chloe's heart beat faster, her nerves rising to a deafening crescendo.

And then the King let the large, royal blue cloak he always wore fall from his back to the ground. Chloe gasped. The King turned to look at Chloe, his long hair whipping around as he did so. His intense, piercing blue gaze locked with Chloe's eyes once again. And then something happened that Chloe did not expect: the King smirked. It was more expression than Chloe had ever seen from the monarch since she had arrived at Castle Barden, and it took her quite by surprise.

After a moment, he turned back around and began untying the knots that fastened his tunic. It was then that Chloe looked more closely at the King and realized he was actually quite short, shorter than her, at least. And his shoulders were nowhere near as broad as they appeared when he wore his massive cloak. The King slowly let the ornate, outer tunic he had worn to the wedding fall to the ground, leaving him only in a thin white shirt and black breeches. Then he pulled the shirt over his head. Chloe's mouth dropped open as the fabric came away in slow motion to reveal a very womanly figure. Though there was clear evidence of strength in the toned, taut muscles of the King's back, it was still a definitively feminine shape, especially when the breeches came off, revealing a curve of the hips and long legs that no man could possess.

Now fully exposed, the King turned to face Chloe, moving agonizingly slow, until finally the pale figure stood looking once again directly into Chloe's eyes, though it felt like her very soul. Chloe's gaze, however, was drawn down the body of the person who stood across the room from her, revealing what Chloe thought surely could not be true.

King Richard was not a King, but a Queen. And an indescribably beautiful one at that, Chloe could not stop herself from thinking. But that did not detract from the fact that the current situation made absolutely no logical sense. Unable to fully process this information, Chloe stood in stunned silence as she stared at the small brunette girl.

"Well, isn't this something? I figured you might have at least one or two questions," the girl said with a smirk, placing her hands on her hips. Chloe's mouth opened and closed as she tried to find something, anything, to say, but no words came. The brunette chuckled. "Why don't I introduce myself properly then. My name is Rebecca, though you can just call me Beca. I am the King of Barden."

"How?" Chloe finally managed to ask, though it sounded more like a squeak than a question.

"I'm sorry?" Beca asked.

"How..." Chloe said more coherently, gulping slightly to calm herself. "How can you be a King? You're a woman!"

"I should hope so, all things considered," Beca replied cheekily, looking down at her body, which caused a furious blush to blossom across Chloe's face as she became acutely aware of the girl's nakedness. "It might be a bit awkward if I were a man and had a body like this."

"But you are a King! Everyone thinks you are a man!"

"Well I couldn't very well be a King if everyone knew I was a woman, could I?" Beca responded, and Chloe found herself, once again, at a loss for words.

"But... but how is this possible?"

"As the only child of the royal family in a land where only men can be kings, and where many less than altruistic individuals seek the throne for their own personal gain, I did what I had to do to protect my country, my people."

"That's..."

"Deceitful, I know, but I also know that it is my duty to protect this realm, and if I have to pretend to be a man to do it, then so be it."

"I was going to say quite impressive, assuming you aren't just as power hungry as those you claim to be protecting your country from," Chloe said with a challenging smile.

"Trust me, if I could have the freedom to be who I want to be, to love who I want to love, I would give all of this up without a second thought," Beca replied somberly. "But I fear the world is not so kind as to allow for such things."

"To marry for duty and not for love is the fate of a noble woman," Chloe said with a sigh.

"Unfortunately so," Beca agreed. "Although..." The brunette's eyes ran up the length of Chloe's body. "I am certainly not complaining at the moment." Chloe's blush returned in full force, having faded in lieu of the more serious change in topic.

"Must you be so bold, my King?" Chloe asked shyly. Beca shrugged.

"I see little reason not to be at this point," she answered. "Especially since you seem less distressed by the fact that you are technically married to another woman than I would have expected."

"The idea of loving a woman has never repulsed me, especially considering how much time I have spent wishing for the freedom to love whom I choose."

"Well that should make all of this a little easier to accept then, I suppose," Beca mused.

"And what is this?" Chloe asked nervously.

"This is whatever you need it to be, my Queen," Beca said with a comforting smile. "I understand that you don't know me. How could you? I didn't even speak to you until tonight. So this is me laying everything I am before you, and letting you know that I will be to you whatever I need to be. If you desire it, I will love you with all my heart and protect you with all that I am. If not, you are free to live out your life here free from any interference from me. I only ask that whatever you decide, you guard my secret to the best of your ability."

Chloe's breath hitched as she comprehended what Beca was saying. When she really thought about it, the girl did not seem by any means unlovable. Even from this single conversation, Chloe could see that she was a truly kind individual. And she was exceptionally beautiful. Once again, Chloe found that her eyes could not help but shamelessly explore all of the little details of Beca's body, only to be enraptured by her incredible, deep blue eyes. The redhead girl smiled.

"You are right, my King-"

"Beca," the brunette quickly corrected with a smirk.

"Beca," Chloe said with a smile. "You are correct, I do not know you. However... I do think I would like to get to know you. Why don't we start there?" Beca beamed at Chloe's words, this whole thing having gone much more smoothly than she expected it would.

"That sounds good to me," she replied, holding her hand out to Chloe.

* * *

><p>"I swear I was not trying to seduce you!" Beca cried indignantly, earning a giggle from the redhead seated across the bed from her.<p>

"Oh, but of course," Chloe replied with a wink. "No one would ever get that idea when someone strips in front of them for no apparent reason."

"I just thought it would be the easiest and fastest way to inform you," Beca pouted as she folded her arms across her chest, which Chloe had to admit was incredibly adorable. The brunette was now dressed in a silk night gown, having donned it seeing as evidence of her lack of manhood was no longer necessary.

"It is perfectly acceptable for you to admit that you totally wanted some of this," Chloe replied in a sultry tone, gesturing to her own body in a rather cocky manner. It seemed that once they sat down and just talked, the conversation flowed rather easily between the two women. For hours, they stayed up talking about anything and everything, laughing with not a care in the world. One of the more interesting topics for Chloe was the subject of how Beca was able to so effortlessly maintain her disguise as a man. The brunette had responded by joking that she couldn't reveal all of her secrets, as she needed to maintain some air of mystery in order to remain interesting to Chloe. After some prodding, and a bit of pouting on Chloe's end, Beca had finally divulged at least in part how it was mostly just the heavy clothes, as well as often wearing armor and that massive cloak to hide her feminine figure and give a larger appearance, in addition to never speaking in public so as not to reveal her voice. The more she talked, the more fascinating Chloe found Beca. As the night carried on, Chloe found herself growing ever more comfortable with Beca, and, consequently, ever more flirtatious, effectively reversing their previous roles.

"Well, I would be lying if I said I found you unattractive," Beca replied with a wide grin.

"Oh, really now?" Chloe asked, scooting closer to the brunette. "Is that so?"

"Truly," Beca replied as Chloe's face neared her own.

"I suppose I must confess that I feel the same of you," Chloe whispered.

"Is that so?" Beca asked in the same hushed tone, her heart beginning to beat at an ever increasing rate as Chloe's breath ghosted across her face.

"Truly," Chloe replied as she pressed her lips to Beca's. The kiss was soft and chaste, both girls afraid to push the other, but unwilling to move away. Feeling that Beca as not recoiling, Chloe put more pressure behind the kiss, which caused Beca to wrap her arms around the redhead and pull her on top of her chest as they continued to kiss. After a few moments in Beca's embrace, Chloe lifted her head to look at the smaller girl lying beneath her. She smiled at the flushed look on Beca's face.

"And here I thought you just wanted to get to know me first," Beca said smugly.

"Well, we _are_ married. It would be a crime not to at least kiss the bride on her wedding night."

"I kissed you during the wedding..."

"That is what you would call a kiss?"

"You wound me, my lady," Beca replied, feigning hurt at Chloe's words.

"Forgive me, darling," Chloe answered with a giggle.

"I shall consider it," Beca teased.

"You know you cannot say no to me."

"So certain, are we?"

"I am fairly confident in all of this," Chloe said quite confidently.

"You should be," Beca replied. Chloe flashed a wide grin at the girl. The redhead was immensely happy with the way things had turned out already. Even though she had spent a full two weeks dreading this night, it had quickly become one of the best nights of her life, much to her surprise. Even though fate had dictated that she would not marry for love, in the course of this one night, Chloe had decided that, perhaps, she could fall in love with King Rebecca.

* * *

><p><em>AN: I know, I know, I've got plenty of other things to be working on, and I will update Pure as soon as I can. And I haven't forgotten about What Doesn't Kill You either. This was just an idea I had that I really wanted to write about. Honestly, I considered it as an idea for a multi-chapter story but I just don't have the time, so it is simply going to be a one-shot. The main idea was heavily inspired by the character Saber from Fate/Zero. Anyway, I hope you enjoyed it!_


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